Ford trade in scheme targets old UK cars

Offer applies to all makes of cars more than seven years old

The cockpit of the new StreetScooter Work XL electric van, a joint venture between Ford and Deutsche Post. Wolfgang Rattay / Reuters

Ford has become the latest car manufacturer to target gas-guzzling vehicles by launching plans to encourage individuals in the UK to trade in their cars in a bid to help the environment.

The American car company is offering up to £2,000 (Dh9,436) for trade-ins of cars that are at least seven years old. While British consumers have already seen a number of comparable offers to buy up polluting diesel vehicles, the Ford promotion applies to all cars built before 2010 by any manufacturer.

The plan aims to reduce negative environmental impacts by reducing the number of cars on the roads that were built before emissions standards changed in 2010.

Other car makers such as Mercedes have launched similar schemes in the past but Ford is the first to accept petrol cars.

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All part-exchanged vehicles traded as part of the scheme will be scrapped in an attempt to keep the most environmentally harmful cars off the roads.

With such offers and the British government announcing plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2040, the car industry has seen an increase in electric car sales.

The number of electric cars has increased steadily in recent years, particularly in China, the US and Europe, with now more than 2 million electric cars on the roads globally.

There are several benefits associated with the rise of electric cars – they are quicker and quieter than the average petrol or diesel vehicle, and cheaper to operate. However, a report by the National Grid, a UK electricity and gas utility, has warned of several issues linked to the running of electric cars.

The report suggests that car batteries take 19 hours to fully charge when using an average size battery charger of 3.5KW, even when 25 per cent of the battery is already full.

Using a more powerful charging device may blow the fuse when other appliances are used at the same time, the National Grid warned.

The report stated: “If one were to use an above-average power charger, say 11kW, this would require 48 amps. When using such a charger you could not use other high-demand items such as kettles, ovens, and immersion heaters without tripping the main fuse.”

The National Grid has advised electric car owners to avoid boiling the kettle while charging their cars due to the risk of fuses blowing.